RP and YCH to launch Talent Development Programme

Republic Polytechnic and YCH Group sign MOU to launch Talent Development Programme

Comprising three phases, the programme will include internships, mentorship and final year projects that aim to train up to 20 students a year for Singapore's fast growing logistics sector

SINGAPORE, JUN 20th, 2014 - In a bid to build a talent pipeline for the logistics industry, the YCH Group, a leading integrated end-to-end supply chain management and logistics company, and Republic Polytechnic (RP)'s School of Engineering have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The collaboration will bring about a new Talent Development Programme, aimed at nurturing students to be industry-ready upon graduation.

The collaboration is timely, given that in 2012, the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council (NPCEC) endorsed a $42 million, 5-year productivity roadmap to lift the long- term productivity of the logistics and transportation industry in Singapore. According to the Singapore Logistics Association, the logistics industry contributes to 9.4% of Singapore's GDP, and Singapore has consistently been ranked amongst the top 5 performers in the Logistics Performance Index published every two years by the World Bank since 2007. The collaboration between YCH and RP will contribute to this national objective, ensuring a steady stream of polytechnic graduates who are well-versed in the requirements of the industry.

An RP student doing a logistics workflow demonstration on a tour to RP's Centre of Innovation for Supply Chain Mgt (COI-SCM) lab.

Under the MOU, each year, up to 20 third-year students from RP's Diploma in Supply Chain Management (DSCM) and Diploma in Industrial and Operations Management (DIOM) will have the opportunity to embark on this 10-month long training programme, consisting of a four-month long internship, a two-month industry mentorship programme and a four-month final year project.

During the internship phase, the students will be rotated through various roles at YCH, allowing them to gain exposure to a wide range of operational functions. Following this, in the industry mentorship phase, each student will be assigned a YCH mentor to understand more about a specific job function that is of career development interest to the student. Throughout these two phases, the students will also gather information and collect data on the operations and best practices of the company for learning and development purposes. The industry mentorship phase is also a leadership development phase where students will learn about the roles and responsibilities of managers and supervisors at YCH.

In the final-year project phase, the students will study specific problems within a department and apply the information and data they have collected to provide solutions. Outstanding case studies will be used by YCH for training their employees in industry best practices.

Upon graduation, students will have earned a Diploma certificate and a YCH Talent Development Programme certificate. In addition, YCH will provide job offers to outstanding students who successfully complete the programme. Scholarships may also be awarded to outstanding students who wish to pursue further studies.

"We are very pleased to collaborate with an established supply chain and logistics player like YCH, to give our students an edge in this fast-growing industry. The strong hands-on learning opportunities and in particular, the structured mentorship aspect of the Talent Development Programme will allow our students to gain a good grounding in different job functions and be immersed in a realistic working environment," said Mr Yeo Li Pheow, Principal/CEO, Republic Polytechnic.

"We are delighted to partner RP, whose renowned expertise in problem-based learning pedagogy fits like a glove with YCH's strong belief in supplementing academic theory with practitioner-based experience to create all-rounded, future-ready supply chain talents. Resonating with our CSR philosophy in 'teaching a man to fish', this collaboration also reinforces our culture of inspiring continuous learning and innovation through partnerships with the community," said Dr Robert Yap, Chairman & CEO, YCH Group.